Early elective deliveries are on the decline

New Jersey's rate of early elective births, one of the leading causes of the state's high rate of C-sections, dropped from 17 percent of deliveries in 2009 to 4 percent in 2013, according to a report released last week by the Leapfrog group, a nonprofit hospital quality watchdog.

New Jersey's rate largely mirrored the national trend, and dropped below Leapfrog's target rate of 5 percent for the first time. New Jersey has consistently had one of the highest C-section rates in the nation.

Early elective deliveries - inductions or cesarean procedures performed prior to 39 completed weeks gestation without medical necessity - carry risks to babies and mothers. They also can result in NICU admissions, increased length of stay, and higher costs to patients and payers, according to Leapfrog.

Civil rights curriculum deemed lacking in N.J.

A new report by the Southern Poverty Law Center that examined curriculum standards regarding the civil rights movement gave New Jersey a D grade - up from an F in 2011.

The report graded all 50 states on content, sequence, depth of study and connections to the students' and teachers' lives and communities.

"New Jersey did not fare well," said Maureen Costello of the law center. "I think it can improve, if in fact attention is paid to the things that are not often talked about. For example, how can you really understand Birmingham or Brown v. Board of Education without understanding the 90 years of oppression that came first?"

New Jersey is one of 20 states that received a D. Twenty other states received an F. Only South Carolina, Louisiana and Georgia received an A.

N.J. school districts release bullying grades

New Jersey schools began releasing self-reported anti-bullying grades last week that measure their efforts to address harassment.

A 20-page assessment, which is graded from 0 to 75, requires schools to rate their performance in eight different areas, including bullying and harassment prevention, staff training, student curriculum and instruction, and reporting and investigation procedures.

Two-thirds of the almost 2,500 schools reporting had scores of 57 and higher, state officials said. All districts must post their grades on their websites by March 18.

In Monmouth County, all of the schools in the Upper Freehold Regional School District reported perfect scores. The only other schools to do so were Howell High School and the Eisenhower Middle School in Freehold Township.

In Ocean County, the two highest scores - 74 - were Beachwood Elementary School and Walnut Street Elementary School, both in Toms River.

The lowest scores - 44 - were at Lakewood Middle School and Ella G. Clarke Elementary School in Lakewood.

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Early elective deliveries are on the decline

New Jersey's rate of early elective births, one of the leading causes of the state's high rate of C-sections, dropped from 17 percent of deliveries in 2009 to 4 percent in 2013, according to a report

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